Restaurant fined over courtyard seating
PALM BEACH — Bice restaurant was fined Thursday for placing too many seats in its outdoor courtyard.
The Code Enforcement Board ordered the Italian eatery to pay a $1,000 fine, plus a $150 hearing fee, for setting up more seats in its via off Worth Avenue than allowed. The board had the option of fining Bice $5,000.
Code enforcement officer Julien Felix said he inspected the restaurant Feb. 21 after a resident complained about “overcrowding.” He counted 58 seats and the town allows 46 outdoor seats, he said.
Fire Marshal Marty DeLoach said he inspected the property Feb. 22 and found about 90 seats in the court yard. He said the restaurant also h a d t h e ext r a s e a t s o u t o n Fe b. 2 3. They were removed the next day, he said.
Bice manager Jose Gonzalez apologized for the violation.
“I had a few extra Palm Beach customers come in that day, and I wanted to seat them outside because it was a beautiful day,” he said. “They refused to sit inside.”
This is the second time Bice has been caught with extra seats in the courtyard. The code board also fined the restaurant $1,000 last year for placing extra seats in the courtyard on New Year’s Eve.
Code board member Cynthia Van Buren sympathized with the restaurant and had recommended a $250 fine.
“There are sometimes some extenuating circumstances at all the restaurants with outdoor seating,” she said. “Things happen, customers get irate when they can’t sit where they want. I know Bice tries very hard to comply, and they have for all these years they’ve been operating.”